Populonia - Etruscan Tombs

The Etruscan cemetery of Populonia, with tombs dating from the ninth to the second century B.C., lies below the village to the east. Until the early 20th century the tombs were hidden below the huge deposits of slag left by the ancient metalworkers, so that although their roofs might be broken down by the weight their rich contents were preserved. Most of the material recovered can be seen in the Archeological Museum in Florence. The slag was resmelted, using modern methods, and its high metal content recovered. There are three main types of tomb: tumulus tombs roofed with "false vaults" formed of overlapping courses of stone; chamber tombs hewn from the tufa; and aedicula tombs (in niches) built of dressed stone, with saddle roofs of stone slabs.